Something that needs to happen more often is corporate abusers need to be fined into bankruptcy, shareholders wiped out, ownership transferred to the people (state) and kept operating while sold or broken up into pieces during bankruptcy restructuring. i.e. real consequences for boards and shareholders that aren't just small dents in quarterly profits while minimizing consequences for the more ordinary workers
Should the death penalty be on the table for executives in particularly egregious acts of pollution? Environmental destruction irreparably harms public commons, including the lives of millions of future humans.
These people are making millions and it doesn't seem like current enforcement has the desired deterrent effect. Slaps on the wrist with small fines don't seem effective. How often do executives get prison time for serious pollution?
Is there a fair legal test that you believe would justify the death penalty for egregious acts of pollution where an executive knowingly participated in the cover up? Currently it feels like the commons is being exploited without consequence. I can't help but think that executing just a couple of the worst offenders would make violators much more cautious and curtail this destructive behavior.
>Should the death penalty be on the table for executives in particularly egregious acts of pollution
because that worked so well to deter murderers?
>These people are making millions and it doesn't seem like current enforcement has the desired deterrent effect. Slaps on the wrist with small fines don't seem effective.
I don't understand why the logical progression from "small fines" is "death penalty".
Polluters can make hundreds or thousands of people get sick or die due to cancers, respiratory illnesses, etc as well as making species go extinct. That seems worse to me than even the worst mass shooters, but there doesn't seem to be proportional prosecution of these crimes.
I think as long as we have a death penalty than, yes, it should be on the table. Some of the comments on your question offer compelling reason for that to be the case.
What you're describing is practically impossible in a capitalist state, both due to political unwillingness and by juridical obstructions. One has to realize that the main function of a capitalist state is to secure private capital and facilitate profits for the capitalist class, in short - to preserve the class hierarchy.
